As the Women’s Six Nations drew to a close earlier last weekend its profile was higher than ever.

A first Irish Grand Slam – breaking the traditional dominance of England and France – caught the imagination and has been rewarded in the Emerald Isle with high profile media coverage. Ireland’s women were delighted to be celebrated on their nation’s most popular television programme – The Late, Late Show last week.

Wales, who came within a whisker of beating Ireland in their first game and pushed England hard to lose narrowly in their final match, secured their goal of World Cup qualification through fourth place in the table.

But if a proposed revamp of the Women’s Six Nations goes ahead, Wales’ status could be downgraded and the team’s preparations for the World Cup seriously compromised.

Major changes to the Women’s Six Nations series are to undergo a vote in April.

The Six Nations committee have discussed the possibility of splitting the tournament into a two-tier championship with Ireland, France and England in one tier and Wales, Italy and Scotland in the other.

Sides would play each other home and away in tier one, while tier two could just play two games a season and alternate home and away games every other year. Cost, the growth of the Sevens game and the inability of the bottom three sides to make an impact are among the factors behind the proposed changes.

But psychologically and practically, such drastic alterations to the women’s international test scene would have a detrimental affect on Welsh women’s rugby. Laura Murton of All Wales Sport is among those voicing concern.

“This would be a bitter pill to swallow for the women’s game, and would leave Wales playing just two competitive matches in a World Cup year – hardly the ideal preparation,” she wrote on her blog.

“If Wales were to drop down to Tier 2 it would undoubtedly be a major backward step, not to mention turning our players’ elation of securing a well-deserved World Cup place completely on its head. The Welsh women already give up their time not for money but for the love of their sport and the chance to represent their country at the highest level.”

She also highlights the bigger message such a move would send out for women’s sport per se in Wales.

“The London Olympics had been seen by many as a watershed moment for women both in and outside of the sporting arena, with athletes such as Jessica Ennis and Katherine Grainger starring on the competitive stage, while Clare Balding captured the hearts of the nation with her very human approach to sports reporting. Despite this encouraging change, however, what this situation has shown is that clearly the same obstacles remain for many women in sport.”

While many players and supporters of Welsh women’s rugby have spent recent days launching a Back Our Girls campaign on social media, the Six Nations committee are remaining tight-lipped on the detail of their review of women’s rugby, issuing only the following statement to acknowledge talks have taken place:

“Following speculation in the media, the Six Nations has confirmed that they are conducting a review of the women’s championship as is the case for all their events at the end of the championship each year. Through these reviews the Six Nations office aim to develop the game of rugby at all levels, taking into account player welfare, cost and competition issues. No further comments will be made on these reviews until they are completed.”

It is to be hoped the governing bodies of each of the Six Nations recommend the women’s game retains the status quo. If the WRU were to support Wales Women’s demotion to the second tier of a revamped Six Nations it would give a negative message about the kind of rugby nation we want to be.

If the game is at the heart of our national identity it has to be as inclusive as possible. The Owens family are the perfect example. Having spoken to dad Delme, I know he is as proud of his lock forward daughter Vicky playing for her country as he is of Scarlets hooker Ken helping Wales to championship triumph.

The glorious events of March 16 didn’t just make little boys dream of donning the red jersey, young girls will have been inspired. Welsh rugby success fires the aspirations of both genders. And in recent years, great strides have been made to ensure there is an elite rugby pathway for young women in Wales on a par with their male peers.

The Six Nations in its current format is what our most talented female players aim for. Devaluing Wales’s status in the tournament would prevent those who strive to be the best from competing at the highest level and shackle the ambition of generations to come.

As Ms Murton points out: “It would not only disrespect the women who take unpaid leave from work to represent their country, but also young girls playing at age grade who aspire to pull on their national colours one day.”